Cream Soups

Cream soups are the basis for many a tasty and filling meal

If your food budget was the size of the state of Montana, you probably wouldn't be reading this article. However, with most of us, this is not the case. We're all looking for nutritious and filling meals that taste great and don't break the bank. Cream soups fill the bill.

The tradition of cream soups transcends cultures, appearing in cuisines around the world as a favored respite from the stresses of the day. With a cream soup as the main entree, all you need is perhaps a loaf of bread, for a complete and inexpensive meal for your family. You can add a small dinner salad for added panache. Are you ready? Let's take a look at how you can use cream soups to advantage in your weekly menus.

Begin with a roux of butter and flour. Preheat your soup pot and melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in an equal amount of flour until you've formed a paste. Don't let this sit too long. As soon as the paste holds together, begin to introduce the milk, in small amounts.

This mixture should sustain 6 cups of milk, which will develop into a medium-thick broth. Depending on the other ingredients you wish to introduce into your cream soup, you can have a hearty, filling dish or a light cream soup swimming with a few oysters, veggies and begging for bread dipping.

Besides milk, potato broth can serve as the backbone of your soup. The starch in the potatoes serve to thicken the broth and add a number of vitamins and minerals to your concoction too.

Cream soups lend themselves well to almost any meats and vegetables, with the exception of beef. Chicken, fish, seafood and pork are all good candidates in a creamy broth. Colorful veggies simply add to the charm and make for a nutrition-packed meal.

For the greatest success, vary textures and colors within your soup creation. For example, a clam chowder soup does well with water chestnuts, bits of bacon, yellow corn, sliced black olives and diced red peppers. Your resulting soup will have interesting and varied flavors, colors and textures, all of which contribute to the mystique of the entire dish. Adding diced potatoes makes the broth thicker, as well as providing vitamins and minerals.

When chicken is your main meat addition, consider using chicken broth with your roux. A bit of cream will add robustness and flavor.

With any creamy soup, red Spanish and green spring onions add a piquant note. The cream provides the filling, hearty aspect, while the veggies supply variance in texture and color. The meat gives an overall flavor anchor. Seasonings are truly what makes the dish come alive.

Use your imagination to create your own one-of-a-kind soup that keeps your family asking for more!